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Today, the Kurds are spread across four nations. Who are they?

The world’s largest stateless ethnic group finds itself in one of Earth’s most politically volatile regions.

If you can’t point to Kurdistan on a map, you’re not alone: It’s not a sovereign country. But for Kurds, an ethnic group of roughly 30 million people, it is very real indeed. Nestled on the margins of Turkey, Armenia, Iran, Iraq, and Syria, Kurdistan is one of the planet’s most volatile regions – and its people are the world’s largest stateless group.

The Kurds are indigenous to the Middle East, but scholars and Kurdish people alike disagree as to the group’s origin. Nor do all Kurds share a religious identity: Though the majority of Kurds are Sunni Muslims, other religions are pra...Read more »